Success Stories

Best-in-Class Debt Management Solution for Anglian Water

Client:

Anglian Water

Challenge:

Improve its debt recovery capability, reduce the cost of debt collection by automating processes, and improve the productivity and effectiveness of its contact centre staff.

Solution:

Acting as the solutions architect, systems integrator, prime contractor and program manager, CSC integrated a specialist debt management package with SAP ISU.

Results:

A first within the UK utilities sector, the integration quickly provided an accurate view of the overall debt position, was able to view debt recovery performance for different customer segments, and could easily modify debt management strategies in poorly performing segments.

Anglian Water is geographically the largest water company within England and Wales. It serves the needs of around 6 million industrial, commercial and domestic customers, which includes supplying over 1,100 million litres of drinking water to 4.2 million people every day.

Determined to reduce bad debt and minimize the burden of debtors on its paying customers, Anglian Water decided to look for a solution to improve its debt recovery capability. This decision proved especially timely, given the economic downturn.

Exceptionally complex and challenging

Following a review of Anglian Water’s business processes and a short selection process facilitated by CSC, the decision was taken to integrate Experian’s Tallyman debt collection management software with Anglian Water’s SAP ISU system.

Anglian Water appointed CSC to run the multi-million pound program, for which CSC acted as the solutions architect, systems integrator, prime contractor and program manager. Not only was CSC undertaking the first-ever integration of Tallyman with an SAP ISU solution within the UK utilities sector, it was also handling an integration project that proved to be exceptionally complex and challenging, within tight timescales.

Quick results

The new debt collection solution went live on the original planned date, initially handling domestic customers, and within just a few weeks Anglian Water started experiencing improvements in its ability to manage debt. This was primarily because it quickly gained an accurate view of the overall debt position, was able to view debt recovery performance for different customer segments, and could easily modify debt management strategies in poorly performing segments.

A "can do" attitude

"From the outset, executive engagement from each partner provided the common purpose, vision and drive that broke through any road block to progress, and enabled fast decision-making. Both the CSC and Anglian Water project managers were first rate, with a total ‘can do’ attitude and a determination to deliver for the client — a model for others to follow," says Martyn Oakley, Customer Services director, Anglian Water.

For more information

Download the entire case study (PDF, 214 KB).